Sadness Is a Blessing – English Lyrics

• By: Lykke Li
• Album: Wounded Rhymes

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the heart of Lykke Li's poignant ballad, “Sadness Is a Blessing,” a masterclass in expressing complex emotions through music. This song offers a unique opportunity to explore themes of sorrow, acceptance, and intimacy while enriching your English vocabulary and understanding of lyrical storytelling.

[English]

My wounded rhymes make silent cries tonight

My wounded rhymes make silent cries tonight

And I keep it like a burning

I'm longing from a distance

I ranted, I pleaded, I beg him not to go

For sorrow, the only lover I've ever known

Sadness is a blessing

Sadness is a pearl

Sadness is my boyfriend

Oh, sadness I'm your girl

These scars of mine make wounded rhymes tonight

I dream of times when you were mine so I

Can keep it like a haunting

Heart beating close to mine

Sadness is a blessing

Sadness is a pearl

Sadness is my boyfriend

Oh, sadness I'm your girl

I ranted, I pleaded, I beg him not to go

For sorrow, the only lover I've ever known

Every night I rant, I plead, I beg him not to go

Will sorrow be the only lover I can call my own?

Sadness is a blessing

Sadness is a pearl

Sadness is my boyfriend

Oh, sadness I'm your girl

Sadness is my boyfriend

Oh, sadness I'm your girl

Oh, sadness I'm your girl

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
sadness /ˈsæd.nəs/ B2	noun - the state of feeling sad; sorrow
sorrow /ˈsɒr.oʊ/ B2	noun - deep sadness, especially as a result of loss or disappointment
lover /ˈlʌv.ɚ/ B1	noun - a person who is in a romantic or sexual relationship
blessing /ˈblɛs.ɪŋ/ B2	noun - a beneficial thing for which one is grateful; a favor or gift
pearl /pɜːrl/ B2	noun - a hard, round object produced within the shell of a pearl oyster
boyfriend /ˈbɔɪ.frɛnd/ A2	noun - a male partner in a romantic relationship
girl /ɡɜːrl/ A1	noun - a female child or young woman
wounded /ˈwʌn.dɪd/ B2	adjective - injured or hurt, especially physically or emotionally
rhymes /raɪmz/ B2	noun - words that have the same ending sounds; a line of poetry using such words
cries /kraɪz/ B1	noun - acts of shouting or sobbing; loud vocal expressions of pain or emotion
burning /ˈbɜːr.nɪŋ/ B2	noun - the act of being on fire; a strong feeling of passion or pain adjective - on fire; intense
longing /ˈlɒŋ.ɪŋ/ B2	noun - a strong desire or yearning for something or someone adjective - feeling wistful or yearning
distance /ˈdɪs.təns/ B1	noun - the amount of space between two points; emotional or relational separation
haunting /ˈhɔː.tɪŋ/ B2	adjective - persistently and disturbingly poignant; something that stays in the mind noun - the act of haunting; a ghostly presence
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - the organ that pumps blood; the centre of emotion
beating /ˈbiː.tɪŋ/ B1	verb - to strike repeatedly; to pound; also, to throb (as a heart) noun - the act of striking or the rhythm of a heart
scars /skɑːrz/ B2	noun - marks left on the skin after a wound has healed; metaphorical marks from past experiences
beg /bɛɡ/ A2	verb - to ask earnestly or urgently for something

Key Grammar Structures

• Sadness is a blessing

  ➔ Simple Present tense for statements of fact and belief.

  ➔ "Sadness is a blessing" expresses a belief about sadness.

• I beg him not to go

  ➔ Infinitive verb form used after certain verbs to express purpose.

  ➔ "I beg him not to go" shows the intention of begging.

• For sorrow, the only lover I've ever known

  ➔ Present perfect tense indicates a past action relevant to the present.

  ➔ "I've ever known" implies a lasting relevance of the past experience.

• These scars of mine make wounded rhymes tonight

  ➔ Possessive pronoun indicates ownership.

  ➔ "These scars of mine" emphasizes personal connection to the scars.

• Oh, sadness I'm your girl

  ➔ Subject pronoun emphasizes the subject of the sentence.

  ➔ "I'm your girl" gives a personal touch to the relationship with sadness.